Kin you believe it? Microsoft Kin phones are back

In case you missed them the first time around, Microsoft and Verizon are once again selling the Kin phones.

But these Kin aren’t as smart. Verizon’s selling them as feature phones with monthly contracts, instead of as smartphones that require data plans.

Kin phones sold poorly after they were launched in the spring and Microsoft pulled them off the market in June. But the weak launch may not have been as much of a factor as internecine squabbling between the Kin team and the group working on the higher profile Windows Phone 7 platform.

The phones now have an “m” after their name. Verizon’s selling the compact Kine ONEm for $20 with a two-year phone plan or $120 without. It’s selling the Kin TWOm slider for $50 or $220 without.

For awhile this summer, you could buy one from Amazon.com for a penny. Maybe Verizon bought those up and is reselling them itself.

We’ll have to see if Miley Cyrus is sporting one Saturday in Bellevue.

Brier Dudley offers a critical look at technology and business issues affecting the Northwest. Send tips or comments to bdudley@seattletimes.com. His column runs Monday, and his commentary appears here all week.